Carlos Soler stepped off the train at Stratford station and joined the hordes of West Ham fans shuffling their way beyond Westfields shopping centre, past the big red slide and towards the London Stadium.
Suspension had ruled the Hammers midfielder out of the Premier League clash against Brighton in December so the Spaniard, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, thought he'd pop along to watch the game as a fan.
Along he walked, this Spain international and former team-mate of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, surrounded by West Ham fans muttering away about the team's form and what the future held for then-manager Julen Lopetegui.